Time to Face Reality
by Gala000085
Summary: Angel Xover. Sam and Dean head for LA when they hear of numerous vampire killings. However, when Sam is seriously injured, Dean is forced to face reality with the most unexpected support he could ever have imagined. Please review! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**I don't really know how I got the idea to write this Supernatural-Angel crossover, but I hope you like it. :-)**

**_Note_: I know that there are different opinions on vampires and how to kill them in Supernatural and in Angel. I have kindly ignored what Daddy Winchester said about what would and what would not kill a vampire. I hope that is okay.**

* * *

Dean pulled over the Impala and stared at his little brother who was fumbling with a map. They had been driving for hours, Dean persisting that this was definitely the right way to Los Angeles, but having to agree with Sam that they were quite lost. As Dean cleared his throat, Sam looked up and scowled at him. Dean quickly forgot what he was about to say and instead turned on the radio, which was immediately turned off by Sam.

"Know where we are yet?" Dean asked after a couple of minutes silence.

"I would have known if you had turned off where I told you to turn off an hour ago." Sam answered his brother heatedly. "However, because I am a lot better at reading maps than you – don't argue, Dean – I have found out where we are and where we need to go."

"Sweet. Where to?" Dean said as he turned on the engine.

"We will have to turn around and take the road that led off to the left ten minutes ago. Then go along that for a couple of miles and then there should be a sign leading us to LA." Sam folded the map neatly as he finished and put it on the back seat of the Impala.

Dean turned the Impala around and drove back down the road they had just come. Half an hour later Dean found it safe to put on some music and this time Sam did not interfere. Even though he found Sam thoroughly annoying on some occasions, he could not imagine how he would feel if anything ever happened to him. His mind showed him memories he had tried to forget and he pushed them away and drove on.

"Vampires then." Sam said cautiously, breaking the long silence.

"Yeah; it's incredible how they always seem to be there." Dean answered his brother quickly, content with being forgiven for his poor map reading. He was usually alright, but his mind seemed to wonder off lately. Sam had said that it was most likely the result of the beer drinking from the night before.

"It will probably only be dusk when we get there, so do you want to get right to it?" Sam enquired.

"If we can find the son of a bitch, then count me in."

"It shouldn't be that hard. I suspect we should just try and retrace its steps. Maybe we will get lucky."

"Or eaten." Dean joked. There was a hint of a smile on Sam's face. They both knew that they had dealt with many vampires in their time; this wouldn't be any different.

* * *

Cordelia Chase marched towards the coffee machine, and almost bumped into the Irish half human-half demon, Doyle. He always had the tendency to walk into the people, fall over, and forget what to say or say the completely wrong things. This mostly happened whenever Cordelia was in the room.

"Good afternoon, Cordelia." Doyle said quickly as he jumped backwards. "Nice shoes."

"Thanks." Cordelia answered and flashed a smile. "Is he up yet?"

"I think he is getting there. Rough night I think." Doyle handed a coffee to Cordelia and took his own over to the worn sofa by the window where the afternoon sunshine was streaming in. "I don't know why so many vampires have suddenly come to LA."

"Big nightlife city. I guess they like that. All you can eat buffet." Cordelia said, sitting down next to Doyle.

"Well, can't they just go and eat somewhere else." Doyle exclaimed.

"Doyle! Are we supposed to be fighting the forces of evil, or are we supposed to be sending them onto the next town and let them deal with it." Cordelia said angrily as she jumped from the sofa. "We could never make a living if no one was brutally murdered in LA."

"You are right, you are right. I just got a bit carried away, that's all. Would be nice though if we weren't the once who always had to do the staking and beheading." Doyle said defensively, though his voice tailed off at the end as the tall, black-haired vampire entered the room. He quickly jumped out again.

"Could you shut the blinds…please?" He added when neither Cordelia nor Doyle reacted.

"Sure." They both said, and quickly got up from the sofa and shut the blinds. They were both so embarrassed that they had forgotten that the sun was streaming into the room, that they did not even say anything to Angel as he walked in.

He looked tired. Even for someone un-dead, he looked paler than usual and he had dark shadows under his eyes. He too was puzzled by the many vampires who had suddenly arrived in Los Angeles. He had been out all night for a week trying to locate their nest, but they seemed to cover their tracks well…too well. He was starting to worry what it all meant. He could not understand why he could not find them. Doyle seemed to have regular visions and it seemed to be hard on him too. He tried not to show it, but when he had had two visions on one day, it was hard not to feel slightly weakened.

"How did it go last night?" Cordelia asked cautiously, knowing not to upset Angel when he was trying to work the coffee machine.

"Didn't find any of them." It was clear from the tone that he used that he did not want to talk about it. He gave up on the coffee machine and instead opened the small fridge and took out a small bag of pig's blood. He poured it into the mug and was about to walk into his office when he heard a groan of pain from behind.

Doyle was bent double over the sofa, his hands shaking as he held onto the table in front of him. His faced was screwed up in pain and concentration. Angel and Cordelia rushed to his side and as quickly as the vision had started it passed. It had not been as long as others he had had, but Doyle was shaking worse than he normally did.

"A-A-Angel." Doyle said, his voice shaking.

"Who was it this time?" Angel asked, eager to at last bring an end to the killings.

"You." Doyle said, his eyes fixed on Angel's face.

"What do you mean? Doyle! What do you mean?" Angel shook Doyle as though wanting to rattle the truth out of him. Doyle was shaking less, and shook his head as though to try and shake away the pain.

"Two young men in an old warehouse –" Doyle started.

"Did I kill them?" Angel asked, already starting to worry.

"No…they kill you."

* * *

Sam and Dean walked briskly towards an old warehouse. They had arrived in Los Angeles about an hour previous and had decided to search out this old, derelict warehouse. They had both laden their pockets and belts with stakes, guns and holy water. They did not want to take any chances. Dean was hoping to get it out of the way quickly. He was starting to worry every time they were hunting. I had sworn to protect Sammy, and was not counting on letting that promise down.

They reached the warehouse and silently, Dean used his lock-pick to open the door. It creaked slightly as they entered, and once inside, all the lights from the streets seemed to have been an enemy instead of a friend. Coming from the brightly lit streets, the warehouse was dark and damp and a foul smell hung in the air. Dean took out his gun, and a glance sideways told him that Sam had done the same. They etched forwards quietly, hardly daring to breathe.

"Dean." Sam whispered and motioned to Dean to follow him.

They walked on through the warehouse, their eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Dean suddenly realised, that if this place was full of vampires they already had the advantage of sight. He pushed the worrying thought out his mind and followed his brother.

As they walked on, Dean noticed exactly how poor condition the warehouse was in. In many places the walls seemed ready to fall down over them. In some places on the floor, pieces of metal and broken glass lay scattered. Dean gulped as a saw a broken drill pointing towards the ceiling, some ten meters away.

Then they heard it; low muffled footsteps, barely audible. They stood dead still trying to locate the owner. Dean's eyes searching the darkness, seeing nothing. He glanced at Sam and saw that he too was looking, his mouth slightly open. Dean raised his gun a little higher. He knew it wouldn't kill a vampire, but it would still hurt like hell and slow the beast down.

"What do you want?" The voice echoing off the walls of the warehouse made the brothers jump. They both searched the darkness harder than ever. They heard the footsteps again, though still unable to locate them.

"Show yourself bitch!" Dean shouted as Sam raised his gun too.

As an answer they were both thrown off the feet, and Dean felt a jab of pain in his left shoulder as he crashed into the stone wall. He ignored the pain and quickly got to his feet, searching for Sam.

"No…no." Dean whispered as he ran across the floor and threw himself down next to him, all thoughts of vampires forgotten. The drill Dean had noticed earlier was pierced through Sam's shoulder, just beneath the collar bone. "Sammy?" Dean whispered as he felt for a pulse. He felt a faint pumping and although relieved that he was not dead, Dean could not help but notice the amount of blood that Sam had lost and was still losing.

Dean heard footsteps approach behind him. His whole body was filled with anger, and with shaking hands he withdrew a stake from his coat pocket. He tried to focus his eyes even though they were glistening with tears. He stood up and turned around. He faced a man, slightly taller than himself. His hair was as black as the long coat he wore. His face, however, showed pointed teeth, and a wrinkled frown.

Dean let out a shout of grief and launched towards the vampire, who was ready for him. With superhuman speed he had disarmed Dean and hit him hard across the face, sending him toppling to the stone floor again. He jumped up and threw himself at the vampire, punching him hard in the stomach. The vampire let out a groan and just as it was straightening up, Dean thumped it hard on its jaw. The vampire almost lost balance, but quickly recovered, unlike Dean.

He suddenly noticed the burning pain in his shoulder and he started to feel dizzy. He glared back at the vampire. It was roughly ten meters from him; closer to Sam than he. It turned its head and looked at Sam, as he let out a quiet groan. The vampire turned around and started walking towards Sam.

"Don't you touch him!" Dean bellowed and raced after the vampire.

Again the vampire was ready for him. He received a hard blow to the head and was sent head first onto the cold stone floor. He tried to remain conscious, but the last thing he saw before everything turned black was the vampire standing over Sam's lifeless body.

* * *

**I hope you liked the first chapter! If you did (or if you didn't) please let me know by hitting that review button. :-)**

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own any of the shows or any of the characters.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter for my Supernatural-Angel crossover. Thanks so much for the reviews I received for the first chapter!**

* * *

He felt cold. His whole body ached as he tried to move. He opened his eyes and as they focused he saw a grey stone wall. Was he still in the warehouse? Dean tried to move again. His shoulder gave in great protest, but he forced it to obey. He felt dizzy and it was first when he moved a hand towards his face to feel the dry blood that he noticed that he was in chains. He looked at his hands and saw to his horror that thick chains were bound around his wrists. They were attached to the stone wall behind him. 

When he looked around it seemed that he was in a corner of a bigger room, though hidden from view. He helplessly tried pulling at the chains, but it had no other effect than giving him pain at his wrists. He turned his head and looked at his left shoulder. He was relieved that there was no blood to be seen, though, when he touched it he winced in pain. The memory of what had happened slowly returned to him as he sat on the cold stone floor. Sam. Where was Sam?

"Sammy?" He whispered, his voice sounding hoarse.

There was no reply.

He tried pulling at the chains again; they still did not give. He had to find Sam. He had sworn to protect him and now this. He had let Sam become vampire food.

"Congratulations, Dean." He said quietly to himself. "You finally screwed up."

He tried to push the thought out of his mind. Sam could not be dead. He refused to believe it. He tried to push himself up into a standing position, but quickly fell to the floor again, his head spinning. His head jerked upwards towards the ceiling at the sounds of footsteps.

"Sam?" Dean whispered. "Sammy?"

For the third time he tried pulling at the chains, refusing to let himself rest at all. He refused to look around the room again as there was nothing to be seen from his dark, cold corner, obstructive from view from the rest of the room. He knew he had to get out. He had to find Sam.

He heard more footsteps above him and muffled voices.

"SAMMY!" Dean bellowed. The voices above instantly seized.

Hurrying footsteps started moving above him. He followed the sound with his eyes. He heard the clanging of an elevator and footsteps heading in his direction.

"Are you sure it wouldn't be better if I –" A woman's voice was heard from behind a stone wall.

"Cordelia, I told you; I don't think it's going to make a difference." Dean recognised the voice immediately as the voice belonging to the vampire in the warehouse.

He heard their footsteps drawing closer. Dean felt white hot anger burn up inside of him. He heaved himself onto his feet ignoring the protests from his shoulder and his head. He would not be seen lying on the floor by their feet. He braced himself; getting ready to jump at the vampire at the first chance that he got. He just caught a glimpse of the man's face before he had launched himself forwards. He was quickly thrown backwards against the stone wall by a hard punch to his jaw. He felt a fresh stream of warm blood trickle down his face, as he slid down to the floor, his eyes on the man and woman in front him. The woman seemed to be in a frenzy, arguing about something Dean could not make out; his head dizzier than ever by the new blow.

"How…are you?" The man said straining to keep his voice polite.

Dean glared at him, knowing that if he could have one wished granted it would be to have this vampire killed. The vampire flipped open a wallet, which Dean recognised as his own. The eyes of the vampire darted from the wallet to Dean's face. He took a step towards Dean, who tried to scramble further backwards against the wall.

"Dean Winchester." The vampire stated. Dean continued to glare. The vampire bend down towards Dean, making Dean draw in a quick breath and again tried to go further back against the wall. "I'm Angel. This is Cordelia." The vampire gestured at the pretty brunette behind him.

Dean could feel his heart pumping hard against his chest. He knew that the vampire could sense his fear, but this only made him more uneasy. Blood was still trickling down his face, but he tried to ignore it. He only had one thought in his mind.

"What the hell have you done with my brother?" Dean's anger rising. He was angry with himself for feeling tears pressing on his eyes. He was weak. "If you have laid one finger on him, I swear…I swear…"

His voice tailed off as the vampire stood up again.

"Your brother was injured in the warehouse. We've got him in a room along the hall." The vampire said and he turned around, ready to leave.

"Is he alive?" Dean asked, forgetting his anger for a second.

The vampire stopped. He looked at the brunette, and then said, "Just."

The vampire and the brunette left, leaving Dean on the floor. He could feel grief starting to wash over him.

"SAM!" Dean yelled again, heaving at the chains.

* * *

Angel walked over towards the escalator. Cordelia was jogging besides him, nagging him for his way of handling distressed people. He knew he was lousy at it. He didn't care much anymore, but he had known that he had had to bring back the two young men after the incident in the warehouse. It had been with great willpower that he had withheld the temptation of the human blood that had gushed from the younger of the two. 

"Couldn't you see how scared he was?" Cordelia exclaimed, jabbing a finger into Angel's back. He spun around.

"What would you have me do about it?" Angel snapped.

"You are just so insensitive!" Cordelia cried.

"You got to admit that she is kind of right." Doyle said, walking out of Angel's bedroom.

"How is he?" Angel asked immediately.

"Not good; and for your information I don't really like it when there is that much blood." Doyle said, and Angel noticed he did indeed look a little green. "What about the other one?"

"Shouting is no problem –" Angel began.

"Quite distressed." Cordelia interrupted. "It may have something to do with being in chains, but I don't know."

"Cordelia, we went over this. I need to find out who he is and why he killed me. In Doyle's vision." Angel added quickly.

"Then go and talk to him." Cordelia and Doyle said together.

"I'll let him cool down a bit first." Angel said as he got into the escalator.

"Where do you reckon he is going?" Doyle asked as he and Cordelia watched the lift disappear from view.

"To his office. He is probably going there to brood."

"Do you think we should talk to the other one?" Doyle asked with a nod in Dean's direction.

"I think we better wait till Angel is ready. Doyle…" Cordelia pointed behind Doyle. He turned around, but could see nothing.

"What?"

"A cockroach."

* * *

Dean had been drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like hours. His body ached worse than ever, and his throat was burning with the lack of water. He wondered if the vampire simply waited to kill him till he could not defend himself anymore. He was just about to drift into unconsciousness when he heard footsteps approaching. He tried to wake up his body, but it felt limp and unlike his own. The vampire came into view, alone this time. _"This is it."_ Dean thought. He even struggled lifting his head, which had transformed into lead; or at least it felt like it. 

"Why were you in that warehouse?" The vampire asked him. Dean looked at him in disgust, but did not answer. "Okay, let's try and make this simpler." The vampire seemed to be loosing its temper. "Every time I ask you something; you answer?"

"Go to hell." Dean croaked.

"Been there, not planning on going back just yet." The vampire really was loosing his temper. "Why were you in that warehouse?"

Dean still didn't answer. He had no intentions at telling this vampire anything. No way. It could scream itself hoarse, punch the life out of him, he did not care. He father had at least told him to obey him; to be a good little soldier. Secretly he had hated all of it, but he had never wanted to let his father down. He knew he had, but he did not want to accept it; not yet.

"I'll come back later then." The vampire said and he was gone.

Dean looked at the place he had vanished. Maybe he should have just talked. He couldn't hold on much longer as it was. He was beginning to find it hard to focus. For the next half an hour he stared at the same pebble in the stone wall, not daring to fall asleep, though his body longed for it. The image of Sam lying on the floor in the warehouse haunted him.

When he heard footsteps again, he still did not take his eyes off the pebble. He had given up trying to pull at the chains. He was determined that he would see Sammy again and that he would not talk to the vampire. As he thought this he took his eyes away from the pebble and stared into the vampire's face. It had indeed been a handsome man when he was alive.

"I am going to loosen these chains, and I really do not want to start a fight." The vampire said, clearly quite serious.

Dean felt the chains loosen from his wrists, but he did not move. He had dealt with vampires before. He was scared of how weak he felt, though he did not want to admit it. Instincts that had been strengthened by his years of hunting kicked in when the vampire suddenly moved towards him again. In a second he had thrown himself at the vampire, who had been taken by surprise. However, Dean's movements were limited after the hours he had been sitting on the stone floor. He had been shivering slightly in the cold with pain all over his body, and the sudden movements had taken all of his strength. The vampire threw him off with ease and pinned him to the floor.

"Listen. I do not want to hurt you again." The vampire whispered as Dean struggled feebly to free himself from the creature's grasp. "Just calm down. I'll take you to your brother."

Dean stopped moving immediately. He knew not to trust these creatures, but his desire to see Sam was greater than his desire to keep fighting. He felt the weight of the vampire lift up from his back. Shaking, he pushed himself onto all fours, and then forced his legs to hold him when he stood up. The vampire seemed even taller now than he had done in the warehouse. He turned around and started walking, Dean staggering after him using the walls to support his weight. He noticed nothing of his surroundings as he walked after the vampire. They stopped in front of a door and the vampire pushed it open.

"In there." He said, nodding his head in the direction of the room.

Dean staggered inside and stopped.

There he was. Lying on a big bed as though fast asleep. Dean hurried to his brother's side, kneeling beside the bed. His brother's face was completely white. Dean felt for a pulse and to his relief found it. He was aware of the vampire eyeing him, but he did not care.

"Sammy?" He whispered softly, taking his brother's hand. To his amazement, his Sam's eyes opened slightly, moving around the room resting on Dean.

"Dean?" Dean was shocked to hear how weak his voice was.

"It's alright, Sammy. Look, you're fine. You're going to be fine in no time." Dean said, tried to assure his little brother.

"What happened to your face?" Sam asked, closing his eyes for a second. It was first then that Dean remembered that his face must be covered in dry blood.

"It's nothing, Sammy. Just a few scratches." Dean said quietly, again feeling tears pressing on his eyes.

"Good. I was…really worried…about you." Sam's eyes closed completely and he had fallen asleep again.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Sammy. Then we'll go to Bobby's. Bobby will know what to do." Dean whispered frantically into Sam's ear.

* * *

Eyeing the two men from the doorway, Angel realised that he had been wrong. He should not have chained the elder up. Cordelia had been right. He looked behind him as Doyle walked up to stand next to him. 

"Anyone fighting yet? 'Cause then I would like to go before that happens." Doyle said.

Angel couldn't resist a smile. Doyle could always sound like a coward, but put to the test he was a real hero. Even Cordelia had been impressed a couple of times.

"Do you think there is any hope that he could recover?" Angel asked, eyeing the brothers intensely.

"Well, he is a lot better than when he came in. No offence, but you could have thrown he somewhere other than onto a drill."

"Thanks for the support, Doyle." Angel said sarcastically. He refused to feel guilty about this too. Had Doyle himself not said that they were the ones he saw killing Angel in his vision?

"What are you planning to do with them?" Doyle asked looking at the brothers again.

"I am going to have a nice chat with that one." Angel said, pointing at Dean who could still be seen mumbling to Sam.

* * *

**I was not very pleased with chapter - maybe it's because it was one am when I finished it. Hope you like it though! Just hit the review button. :-)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 then folks. Thanks so much to those who have reviewed!**

* * *

Dean had no idea how long he had sat by his brother's side. Sam had not woken since Dean had just entered the room, and he was starting to worry again. How bad was the wound in the shoulder? It had been bandaged, but as he could not…would not trust anyone in this place he was worried that Sam was getting worse, not better. He kept hearing his father's voice in his head, telling that he had failed; telling him that all of this was his fault. Even though he tried to shut out the voice, he could not. His shoulder was still aching and his head was throbbing horribly. How long was it now since he had sustained the injuries? He had lost track of time whilst sitting on stone floor and sitting by Sam's side.

He tore his eyes away from Sam and looked behind him. There was no one. He got up slowly and walked tentatively towards the open door. He looked into a dark hallway, but saw no movement. His heart leapt. Was he perhaps alone? He took one more look at his brother before walking cautiously, staggering at times, down the hallway. Movement made him feel dizzier, but he shook away the darkness from his eyes. This was neither the time nor the place to fall over.

As he moved on down the hallway he spotted various rooms leading off to the right. He spotted a dark kitchen, a room with a couch, a couple of chairs and a table. He neared the elevator on his left, he saw a cage. This really was a strange place. He spotted some stairs a little further along; again of stone. He climbed them cautiously. On the top he faced a door. He pushed it slightly open just enough to peer through. It was a room with a desk and a chair. The desk was laden with paperwork and…a telephone. Dean looked a little further into the room and, finding it empty, rushed inside. He picked up the telephone at once and dialled Bobby's number.

"_Hello_?" The reassuring calm voice of Bobby's voice rang in Dean's ears. He knew that he must try and get help.

"Bobby? It's Dean. Sam's seriously injured and we are in some house with a vampire." Dean spoke very quickly, knowing that what he had said must have sounded very strange.

"_Hey, Dean! Slow down!_" Bobby called through the line. Dean, however, never answered.

He felt strong hands grapping his shoulders and throwing backwards. This time, though, he stayed on his feet. He eyed the vampire, bending slightly forward, ready for it to strike. The vampire, however, did not move. Dean wanted it to run at him again. He dared not attack it himself, but he knew that this time he was ready for it when it came. He could feel how every fibre of his being was filled with anger and grief. He wanted to take it out on someone, or even better, on something.

"Come on." Dean whispered, trying to urge the vampire to attack.

"Angel, I –" The man who had just entered the room, stopped in mid-sentence eyeing the vampire and Dean cautiously. "Angel, do you…er…need any help?"

He spoke with an Irish accent and looked friendly enough, but Dean's instincts still him not to trust anyone.

"No, it's fine." The vampire said in a whisper. He was wearing the long black coat that he had worn the first time Dean had seen him in the warehouse, but his face was no longer wrinkled, his teeth no longer pointed.

Dean still didn't move. No way was he getting lured into anything with that vampire. He was worried that it had not attacked. The vampires he had dealt with in the past had been quite unlike this one. For one they had not been living in what seemed to be a small house or an apartment. They had all been in groups, living either underground or in an isolated area.

"Come with me and we will talk." The vampire said as he started to turn around. The other man was still there. A curious and questioning expression on his face.

Dean let out a sneer, glad to feel that his body almost obeyed his orders at getting ready for a fight.

"Angel…" The man in the doorway said nodding towards Dean.

"What?" The vampire said, looking over his shoulder at Dean.

"I don't think he is going to come with you, mate." The man said, not sounding all that surprised.

The vampire turned around again with a sigh and started walking towards Dean. Dean felt his body swayed back slightly, pleading him not to start fighting again. The vampire made a movement with his hand towards Dean when they were barely a meter apart. Dean had been ready. He used one arm to throw the vampire's arm away from him and the other fist to punch the vampire in the jaw. He knew that he was unarmed and would not have much chance of winning, but he was definitely not going to come quietly. However, Dean did not find that his body responded to his orders as well as he would have liked. The vampire was quicker…much quicker than him. He received another hard blow to the head and was sent flying to the floor, feeling fresh blood flowing down his face.

"Well done, Dean." He whispered quietly to himself. He tried to push himself up again. An unintentional groan escaped his lips as he tried to push himself onto all fours. His body was shaking, clearly not happy with the treatment it had received. He knew that he had to either give up, or fight till he could no longer stand. Being Dean. He chose the latter.

He forced his legs to hold his weight. He had the taste of blood in his mouth. He spat out saliva missed with blood on the floor keeping his eyes on the vampire. The vampire advanced at him again, but paused a meter before him.

"Come on!" Dean yelled.

"Angel, no!" The man behind them yelped as the vampire gave Dean another hard blow on the head.

Dean's body no longer seemed to be in any contact with his head. He fell to his knees in front of the vampire. The room in front of him was swimming and he hardly took any notice as the vampire moved towards him; not until it had a choking hold on him. He felt himself being dragged by the neck out of the room.

He fought limply against the vampire's hold. He heard voices around, but was unable to make out any of the words. His knee banged against a something hard as he was dragged out of the room.

"Sit." The vampire growled as he threw him onto a sofa.

For a moment Dean tried to rise, but finding himself unable, stayed where he had been put. The vampire sat down on a chair opposite him, a table between them. The other man was standing in the doorway to the room they had just left, leaning against the frame. The brunette Dean had noticed earlier was standing behind the vampire.

"I'm Angel." The vampire said. He gestured towards the two other people in the room. "That's Doyle and this is Cordelia."

He waited for Dean to speak. _No way_, Dean thought. _I'm definitely not going to play his game. What would Sam do? Think Dean, think. I can't think; I'm not Sam._

"What's your name?" The brunette said, eyeing him curiously. She was a pretty thing, but he did not care.

"Dean Winchester." He was surprised at hearing his voice so hoarse. He was actually surprised that he had even spoken. Maybe his voice was just acting on its own accord, without a care in the world what he wanted to do.

"And the other one?" The vampire said.

"My little brother, Sam." His insides churned as he said his name aloud. How long had Sam been alone?

"What were you doing in that warehouse?" The vampire asked tonelessly.

Dean did not want to talk to the thing at all; calling itself, Angel, only made the matter worse.

"Hunting vampires. I guess we found one." Dean said looking into the vampire's dark eyes.

"Hunting? You're another one of those bunches of kids who have no idea what they're doing, then. You think that you know exactly what to do, but really you have no idea." The vampire said, this time there was a slight mocking tone in his voice.

"No idea what I'm doing." Dean repeated. "My mum was killed by a demon. My father became obsessed with hunting down that demon and killing it. Guess he just happened to draw his sons into it along the way."

"You actually think that you are good at 'hunting', as you call it?" A mocking smile appeared on the vampire's face.

_He asked for it_, Dean thought, feeling his anger rise as he started to speak.

"I've hunted almost every single son of a bitch you can think of."

"Does it usually end like this?"

"I've had worse." Dean said as he tried to remember when a hunt had ever gone worse than this. He mopped some of the blood from his face away with his sleeve. "Who are you anyway?"

"I told you. Angel."

"You are just the everyday sort of vampire, I can see that." Dean said sarcastically.

"Well, he used to be a lot worse." The man called Doyle suddenly spoke. "He used to be called Angelus. Then he got off on the wrong side with some gypsies and they restored his soul. He's fine as long as you don't make him really happy."

"Thanks, Doyle." Angel said, clearly meaning the opposite.

"Come again?" Dean said while looking at Doyle, not quite believing his ears. A vampire with a soul? They must have hit his head harder than he thought.

"Yeah I know it's –" Doyle broke off instantly as he bent over double his hands on his knees.

"Doyle?" Angel quickly got up from the chair and walked over to Doyle, guiding him towards the chair.

Doyle shook violently, his eyes glistening with tears as he looked up at Angel.

"A young woman; early twenties; in an alley close to the club down the road."

"Wait a minute…How did you know that?" Dean asked, taking a sudden interest.

"I get visions. That is to say big ear splittin' migraines with pictures."

"What? But you don't fit." Dean was very confused. Was he like Sam? But he was older than Sam…

"What do you mean?" Doyle said looking directly at Dean.

_Well done, Dean. Now you've done it. Expose Sam's secret along the way._ He was about to open his mouth and tell a lie when he heard the familiar ring tone from his mobile phone. He looked up at once and instinctively grabbed for it in his inner pocket.

Angel eyed him suspiciously. The phone kept ringing.

"What are you talking about?" Angel said looking at Dean.

Dean felt distracted from the constant ringing of the phone. His head buzzed and the room and its occupants kept slipping in and out of focus. He opened his mouth again, but quickly closed it. He only had his phone and Sammy in his mind. Why had he had to blurt out when he heard someone talk about visions? The other occupants of the room ignored the phone for a while, but when it kept ringing, the brunette picked up the mobile lying on a table near a coffee machine.

"It's someone called, Bobby." She said, more to Angel and Doyle, than to Dean.

"Turn off the phone." Angel said.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, forgetting his buzzing head for a second as he grabbed for the phone. He quickly fell back again and watched as the brunette cut Bobby off.

"Doyle, about the vision; when?" Angel returned to the other man, seemingly forgetting the phone.

"Tonight." Doyle answered.

BANG

A loud gunshot was heard and the vampire let out a cry of pain as he landed on the floor, a hand clutching his shoulder. Dean looked up in alarm and to his relief, and great astonishment, saw Sam holding a gun in his hand, looking paler than before.

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**I hope you liked this chapter. Please review either way. :-)**

**_Disclaimer_: You know it: I don't own any of the shows or the characters...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for your reviews! It really encourages me to keep writing this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter...**

* * *

Sam opened his eyes slowly. He looked up into a ceiling filled with cobwebs. He sat up in the bed he occupied, feeling a searing pain in his shoulder. He touched the bandaged wound lightly with his fingers. There seemed to be hardly anything in the room except for the bed, and a small bedside table. He carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed, listening.

He thought he had seen his brother earlier, but he couldn't be sure. How long time had passed since he was in that warehouse? Where was he? He suddenly heard a tremendous thump overhead. He looked up in alarm and heard his brother's voice loud and clear. He recognised the tone of voice. He had heard so many times before. It was how his brother spoke whenever he was afraid, but would never admit it. He heard more crashes and shouts, as he tried to push himself into a standing position. He had to help Dean, no matter how much pain he was in. He saw his jacket hanging from one of the bedposts and checked the pockets. Nothing. He searched the room for any kind of weapon; opening the drawers from the table; looking through wardrobes, and even lowering himself down on the floor to look under the bed. Nothing.

Sam swore silently as he hurried out of the room as quickly as he was able, putting on his jacket. He looked into the different rooms as he went; his eyes finally resting on a cupboard at the end of a room that looked vaguely like a living room. He opened the cupboard and to his relief, and slight terror, saw weapons of nearly all kinds. He took out a gun, loading it with bullets lying in a case in the corner of the cabinet. He filled his pockets with knifes and stakes, and then rushed out of the room again. He saw a staircase and went for it, still ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He held the gun up in front of him as he pushed open a door at the top of the staircase. He had not heard any signs of fighting for the last couple of minutes, which only worried him.

Then he heard it. The familiar tones of Dean's phone ringing. He heard voices in the room opposite, where a door stood ajar. To his great relief he heard his brother's voice, but it sounded strangely unfamiliar. He heard more voices as he silently crept towards the room. When he reached the doorway, he saw his brother sitting on a couch, and those few parts of his skin on his face that was not covered in blood were pale. On the floor in front of him was a man that Sam instinctively reacted against. He raised his gun a little higher and pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Sammy!" Dean shouted with relief, and completely ignoring the vampire growling on the floor, he jumped off the couch and hurried to his brother.

"Dude, not now." Sam said weakly as Dean made to hug him. He handed Dean one of the knives and one of the stakes he had picked up from the cupboard. "Here."

Dean took them gratefully and looked at the vampire who was now standing in front of them.

"Oh my…are you alright, Angel?" The brunette, Cordelia, asked as her eyes darted from the vampire to the two brothers. The vampire ignored her.

Angel moved slowly towards the Winchesters, and Dean was content with seeing Sam raising his gun immediately.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Dean was not quite as content to hear his brother ask this. Why did Sammy always have to try and talk to them?

"My name's Angel." The vampire said, stopping a mere meter from Sam.

"He's a vampire with a soul." Said Doyle blankly, though, he was also eyeing the two brothers.

"And you?" Sam said, not taking his eyes off Angel.

"I'm completely human; on my mother's, anyway." Doyle said. "Don't worry though; I'm completely harmless."

"Doyle!" Cordelia hissed at him.

"What? Nothing wrong with a little friendly conversation." Doyle clearly meant what he said.

The phone at the table at the end of the room started ringing. All heads turned towards it, as was it a bomb.

"Answer it." Sam said, his voice weaker than before. He was now leaning against the wall, but refrained from lowering his gun.

Cordelia walked across the room and picked up the phone.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless." She said. "That was no problem…no of course not…you will? You are so kind…Bye." She put down the phone, looking slightly more comfortable. "Invoice! She is going to pay. She loved the way you handled her problem with the stalking boyfriend. She has not heard from him at all!"

"That's great, Cordelia; could we not talk about that right now?" Angel said, his eyes resting on Sam and Dean

"Angel Investigations?" Dean repeated, staring blankly at the vampire.

"It was their idea." The vampire said as he shifted his weight a bit.

"You help…the helpless?" Dean repeated in disbelief. "You help the helpless vampires?"

"No…I – we – help the helpless…people…in general." The vampire said, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable with the conversation. This only made Dean feel more comfortable. He took a sideways look at his brother who seemed to have greater trouble than before at standing up.

"So, you are convinced that you are what? A _good_ vampire?" Dean said still not quite believing what the vampire had told him.

"He's as cuddly as a little teddy bear." Cordelia said happily, but quickly looked away as the vampire looked at her angrily.

"Sammy? You still with me, dude?" Dean whispered to his brother as he looked at him again. Seeing his brother so unwell he knew that he would never be able to trust the one who made him so.

"Yeah; I'm fine." Sam lied.

Dean raised the stake in his hand. The vampire looked slightly confused for a moment, his dark eyes darting from the gun to the stake. He seemed to be thinking hard; thinking what to do.

* * *

These two men were so different from any he had ever come across. The ones he had met before were either scared witless after one look at his game face or fought without any real idea what they were doing. These two on the other hand – especially the elder – seemed to never give up. They seemed to have a very hard time trusting anyone. True it had not been a clever thing to land the young brother on the drill, but it had not been intentional. Doyle's vision of the two men killing him was still circling in Doyle's mind, surfacing at some times during the day. He knew that it was hard for Doyle; suddenly to have so many visions in one day. He looked paler than usual, and after each vision he shook more violently than he had normally done.

Angel knew that it was still intentional that the two men killed him. Doyle had told him after the last vision he had of the attack that it was in three days time. Angel had gone to the warehouse to try and find out anything; but then they had been there. In the first vision Doyle had had he had not seen the time. Angel wondered if it was because no one really knew when they would do it, simply that it would happen some time.

The story the older brother, Dean, had told him sounded bizarre. It sounded strange in his ears that they 'hunted'. He had to admit that Dean had put in quite a good fight. If he had not been half knocked out before the fight, he was quite sure that he could have lost. This was what worried him. He had seen all the weapons that were in their pockets and knew that they were not like anyone else he had ever met. All of their equipment seemed almost professional, though he found it the wrong word to use.

He had not been uncertain for many times in his life, but he felt worry built up inside of him. Even though the two brothers were wounded they didn't really seem like they wanted to just sit and talk. Normally Angel wouldn't have minded that much – he was never that good at just talking. What also frightened him slightly about the two was that they seemed in constant paranoia. He knew that it had probably not been the best way to gain trust by putting one of them on a drill and the other in chains. However, he had to try and convince them to trust him now or throw them down in the cellar below. He saw only those two choices. He had to try and get to the alley tonight. So many people had died lately and he started to feel the stress.

"Why don't we all just take a deep breath for a minute?" Angel said as the two people in front of him raised their weapons.

"Everyone except you?" Said the older brother. It was first then that Angel thought that his comment had been rather daft. It probably only made them trust him less.

"No, I meant, just to calm down for a second." Angel said trying to make up for the first comment. Why didn't Cordelia say anything? After all, she was the only other pure human in the room.

"Yeah, we'll get together, have a few laughs." Dean said ironically.

"I really do not have time for this." Angel blurted out before he could stop himself. He heard his voice come out rushed and angry. _Well done, just the way to make them trust you_.

"Angel, I really don' think that's going to help." Said Doyle behind him. "Why don't we all just stop fighting and put down our weapons?"

No one moved.

"Angel, I told you." Doyle continued. "It's not because I want to be a coward, but I really am not jumping for joy for getting caught in the crossfire."

Good old Doyle. He was a great support at times, but when it came to moments like this, Angel was not quite sure if his small speeches were for better or for worse. He ignored the slight throbbing in his shoulder as he watched the elder brother shoot a nervous glance at the other. Neither was looking to good, but they still stood there with their weapons pointed at him. He tried to think of something to say, but found nothing.

"I've got an idea." Doyle suddenly said. "Why don't we all work together to take this vampire cult, cluster, whatever thing, down. It would be a heck of a lot easier with more men on the team."

No one rushed to agree. In any other time, Angel would have immediately disagreed, but somehow he did not find that it was the right time. To his astonishment, the younger brother lowered his gun.

"Sam, what are you –" His brother began.

"Okay." Sam said, his voice weak and shaking.

His brother looked as astonished and uncomfortable as Angel felt. He was not at all pleased with Doyle's idea, but if it could gain their trust, maybe it was worth it.

"On one condition, though." Sam said forcefully. "You have to give us one good reason to trust you."

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**I was not all too pleased with this chapter, but I am hoping to update soon anyway.**

**_Disclaimer_: I don't own any of the shows or the characters, blah, blah, blah**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I really appreciate it!**

* * *

Dean stared at Sam in disbelief. Why was he saying all this? Was he just planning on giving up? Unlike his brother he did not lower his weapon; he held the wooden stake up in front of, ready if the vampire should suddenly attack. Even though he was not at all pleased at Sam's reaction, he had to admit that he did not understand this vampire. He had tried to push the thought out of his mind, but Dean couldn't help thinking that the vampire had had plenty of chances at killing them both. He had raked his brain to try and find a reason, each idea he came up unlikelier than the first. 

"Sammy?" Dean said uncertainly. He didn't know what to do. His head was buzzing harder than ever having stood up for a couple of minutes, and Sam looked as if he was mere seconds from falling.

"You want one reason…" Angel said slowly, looking rather uncomfortable.

"I want one _good_ reason to trust you." Sam repeated.

"Call Buffy." Cordelia suggested.

"I'm not calling Buffy." The vampire exclaimed immediately.

"Well, being a vampire slayer and all she could explain that you are not evil." Cordelia pressed on.

"Cordelia! I'm not calling her." Angel growled at her.

"Sorry; just giving my idea, but don't listen to me." Cordelia said irritably.

"You actually have to argue to try and find a good reason." Dean slipped out.

"Look in the fridge." Angel said to the Winchesters. "I don't drink human blood only pig's blood."

"I am officially uncomfortable now." Dean said peering at the fridge.

"You are going to have to give us something better than that." Sam said raising his gun again.

_That's the spirit, Sammy_, Dean thought happily.

"He hasn't killed either of you yet." Cordelia said, sounding almost hopeful.

"Having dealt with the yellow eyed Demon, I don't really think that is proof enough that you are a good little vampire." Dean said steadying himself a little bit as his blurred vision cleared a bit.

"As Doyle said I used to be evil; the most evil vampire they said." Angel said, clearly not wanting to share his story. "I…I came across some gypsies in Romania who restored my human soul. I can feel guilt; taste the blood from every innocent victim I slaughtered. I made up my mind that I would never drink the blood of a human again. I lived off rats," (Dean looked for a minute as though he was going to throw up) "but I would rather do that. If I ever reach true happiness, I'll be soul-less again; Angelus again."

The vampire sighed and sank down into the chair next to him looking slightly dazed.

"You want us to trust you because you _used_ to be evil?" Dean said looking confounded.

"Dude, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sam said as he tucked lightly on Dean's sleeve. He carried on in a low whisper, so only Dean could hear. "I think we should trust him."

"Come again? Look what he did to you!" Dean hissed.

"I know he doesn't really seem the most trustworthy kind of guy, but I think he might be okay." Sam hissed back at him.

"You always try to find the goodness in everything."

"You should try it sometime." Sam whispered to him.

"Damn it, Sammy! Look at yourself; look at me!" Dean hissed again, a little louder than before.

"It's Sam." Sam said automatically. Dean hated how he always had to try and find the goodness in everything; couldn't he just open his eyes and realise that there was a vampire in front of him that had thrown him on a drill and used his brother as a punching bag? "You look like crap, Dean."

"Thank you." Dean said as though Sam had just given him a compliment.

"Just trust me on this one, Dean; okay?" Sam said his eyes darting from Angel to Dean.

"Hm." Dean's response clearly annoyed Sam.

"_Okay_?" Sam pressed on.

"Okay, okay!" Dean shouted. Everyone in the room jumped, except the vampire.

_Of course,_ Dean thought, _Super-vamp hearing._

"We'll come with you; try and find these vampires." Sam said with difficulty, as his voice was now barely more than a whisper.

"Hey, dude, wait a minute. You can't hunt in this condition." Dean exclaimed shooting an angry glance at the vampire, who didn't really seem to mind at all.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Angel said, not sounding sorry at all, as he pointed at Sam's shoulder. "I miscalculated the distance; it rarely happens."

"Dean, I'll be fine; don't worry about me." Sam said, irritated at how his brother always became overprotective of him.

"Guys, I should warn you that dusk is approaching." Doyle said peering out through the closed blinds.

"Let's go then." Angel said as the got up from the chair and walked towards his office. "Oh, and by the way; you're stack of weapons are in here; just so I could have my own back."

Dean had had time to splash some water on his face and remove most of the dried blood, while Sam stocked up on his weapons. Dean got his own too just as Angel walked out from the lift. He was wearing his long black coat again, but otherwise nothing had changed.

"Dean, I think I need to get to the Impala before we go." Sam said as he handed Dean a wooden stake.

"Why?" Angel said as he came up behind them.

"Dean…" Sam said looking at Dean with the puppy look in his eyes.

"We got to make a quick stop at my car before we go and hunt this thing." Dean said without taking his eyes away from Sam.

"Well, I can give you a tour of the entire neighbour before we go, if you really want." Angel said irritably.

Ten minutes later they were standing by the Impala, the sun blocked out by nightfall. Dean opened the boot and was pleased to see that the vampire looked slightly astonished by their stock of weapons. Sam felt his was around the boot before he withdrew a small white box. He opened it and took out a small container. He tipped out two pills. Dean handed him a bottle of water he had retrieved from the front seat, and Sam swallowed the painkillers. Dean didn't want to question him. Sam was very stubborn when he wanted to be and now was not the time to start an argument.

"Time to go." Dean said as he shut the boot. The two brothers automatically walked to the driver and passenger seat. Angel stared after them. "Are you coming then?"

Angel reluctantly got in the backseat of the car.

* * *

It had been with great difficulty that Angel had sunk down in to the backseat. He at once felt that he was not in control. Usually he either drove the car or was in the front passenger seat. He was not, however, in a mood to argue. The elder brother happily let his cassette tape play along as they went, tapping his fingers happily on the steering wheel. He knew that they did not yet trust him, but maybe doing this together would gain their trust and stop Doyle from having his repetitive vision. 

He could see that the younger, Sam, was not feeling at all well and in his opinion did not look like someone who was ready to go and fight a bunch of vampires. Again, he was not going to argue. He jumped as a phone rang. When nobody reacted he realised that it was his own. He plunged into his inner pocket and withdrew the noise-maker. He stared at it for a moment. Phones; he had never quite got the hang of them.

"Are you going to answer that or not?" Dean said, whose mood seemed to have considerably improved as soon as he had got into the car.

"Hello?" Angel answered the phone. "Doyle...What?" Angel hastily pocketed his phone. "They must know we're onto them. Doyle just had another vision and the attack is taking place in three minutes. It's here! Stop the car."

The car screeched into a stop, and Angel would have been out of the car as the first had he not forgotten his seatbelt.

"Where to?" Sam asked as he got out of the car, slightly slower than the other two. Dean was arming a crossbow as Sam spoke.

"This way." Angel led the way passed a loud nightclub and into a narrow alleyway.

There was nothing there except to large containers full of rubbish bags. All three of them stood completely still, not daring to move or speak. For a moment Angel felt that these two would surely only slow him down, when a voice behind them made all three of them jump and turn around.

"Here again, Angelus?" The vampire before was in game face. He had a dirty mousy coloured hair that stuck out in all directions. He proceeded slowly towards them, five more vampires moving up behind him. "You are making things rather difficult for us, and we are getting tired of it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Angel said, though a smile did not appear on his handsome face.

"Did you bring those two along as a ransom? To stop us killing?" The other vampire sneered.

Angel sensed the eyes of the two humans on him.

"No." Angel said just as his vampire face appeared.

The whole alley was pandemonium. More vampires had appeared and there were vampires, bullets, arrows and stakes flying in every direction. Angel did not have time to check on how the other two were doing, as he was busy fighting four vampires single-handed.

"Jasper! Look at Jasper!" He heard one of the vampires cry. Hesitantly all the vampires looked at the vampire who had a wooden arrow poking out from his chest. Dean was holding the crossbow aloft, a thin line of blood pouring from his mouth. The vampire whom he had just shot looked confused as he turned into ash.

The fight continued. Angel received a hard blow to his chest, which only angered him. He threw himself at the other vampire, making sure to stake another that had just hurried towards the fighting vampires.

Ash filled the alley as Angel watched three vampires scramble in any direction as long as it was away. Angel turned his head as his vamp-face disappeared and looked for the two humans. They walked towards him. The elder was supporting his brother, who weakly kept trying to push him off.

"Alright?" Angel asked as they reached him.

"How many did you get?" Dean asked at once.

"I don't know; I didn't really keep count." Angel said in disbelief. "We better get back to the others, they'll be worried."

Angel went to help and drag Sam back to the car, but Dean shut him a spiteful look.

"Don't you touch my little brother."

"Suit yourself." Angel strolled in front of the two humans back to the black car.

"I'm fine, Dean." Sam said as he wriggled himself free of Dean's grasp when they reached the Impala.

"Yeah you really look it." Dean said as they both got into the car.

Dean turned on the engine and started driving. They were driving past high buildings. Angel thought he caught sight of movement out of the window and looked out. He saw nothing but wasn't that –

CRASH

A body crashed onto the windscreen of a car which they had just overtaken. Angel heard Dean give a cry of horror and pulled the car over. The three of them rushed out of the car and back to the young woman lying in front of the car with two deep, bleeding marks on her neck.

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**I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!**

**Thanks to Dean4me for noticing a little slip on the keyboard! ;-)**

**_Disclaimer_: The same old; I don't own the shows, I don't own the characters...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all of your reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

They had barely burst through the door before Doyle was pushing them out again.

"Go! A young woman –" Doyle started to explain as they backed away from the door.

"A young woman falls of a high building after having been sucked dry?" Dean suggested blankly.

"She falls on top of a car, and…and…" Doyle continued frantically.

"We know." The Winchesters and Angel said.

"How?" Doyle said as Angel pushed him back inside.

"We saw her, that's how." Dean said as he and Sam made their way in after Angel.

"But…but…you didn't save her?" Doyle said as he turned to Angel. "I've been trying to reach you on the phone ever since my vision, but you didn't pick it up."

"We were held up by a couple from the cult." Angel explained as he walked across the room. He suddenly grabbed the chair and threw it across the room. "Damn it! Defraud! Seems like whatever I do, whatever I try, it's not enough."

Dean was surprised at the vampire's sudden outburst. The drive back to the apartment had been silent. Sam had shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but otherwise no one had moved. He knew that he should not have snapped at the vampire before, but even after the fight against the other vampires he still felt uneasy around Angel. He shot a glance at Sam who seemed very puzzled.

"You have visions?" Sam asked, his eyes resting on Doyle.

"Yeah; having them a lot lately. You wouldn't like to try them." Doyle said as he rubbed his eyes.

"I guess not." Sam chuckled.

After that Sam seemed a lot more interesting in talking with Doyle. Cordelia took a look at Angel's shoulder where Sam's bullet had gone through (though with some difficulties as she kept closing her eyes or turning her head away). Dean felt slightly out of place. Cordelia had given him an icepack for his sore head and as he was holding it against his skull he flicked through the missed calls and messages. In all the rush earlier he had forgotten to turn the phone back on, and now saw that Bobby had continuously tried to call and had sent a load of texts. Dean sent him a quick one saying that they were both all right and he didn't need to worry. A few minutes later he received a text from Bobby explaining that after Dean's phone call, he didn't have any worry left in him.

"What are we doing now?" Sam asked as he looked up at the other occupants in the room. "Do we kill these sons of bitches?"

"Hell, you know I'm in." Dean said, happy that something constructive was happening.

"I need to know more about what they are doing before I go ahead." Angel said as he got up from his chair, moving his shoulder around a bit.

"Dude, we've hunted vampires before." Dean said as he put down the icepack.

"Yeah, I could tell." It was hard to distinguish whether Angel's comment had been a compliment or not. "Doyle I need you to check the list you made of all the places there have been an attack; draw it out on a map, it might give us a clue to where the cult is. Cordelia, you help Doyle – don't argue."

"What about you?" Cordelia asked anxiously.

"I'll check through the sewers." Angel said as he started walking towards the door.

"Watch the light, man." Doyle said as Angel walked out into the night. He turned to Sam and Dean. "What are you two going to do?"

"Sammy; you help here and I'll go with the vampire." Dean said as he hurried after Angel.

"Dean!" Sam called him back. Dean stared at him through the door. The fight had weakened him considerably, but Dean knew that he would never admit it. "Be careful."

"You know me, Sammy. Get your bandage changed." He added before running after Angel who was disappearing round a corner.

"Yo! Angel!" Dean called after the vampire as he rounded the corner. The black coat swirled around the vampire's legs as he turned around.

"What now?" He said impatiently.

"Coming with you." Dean said calmly as they started walking down the street. Dean had expected Angel to argue but he kept quiet.

It was not long before they were walking side by side down in the sewers. Dean turned on his torch and the tunnel filled with light.

"Do you…have to do that?" Angel stopped and asked cautiously, eyeing the torch.

"Dude, I haven't got vamp-eyes, vamp-hearing or vamp-anything." Dean said, but shut off the light. He didn't know why he actually did want the vampire wanted. He would say one thing and do the other. However, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and he had to admit that flashing a torch around would probably not help with finding any evidence of the nesting place for the vampires. Angel suddenly held out an arm and stopped him. "What is it?"

Angel had bent down on the ground and was touching something. He stopped up and Dean noticed that his fingers were covered with something dark.

"Blood." Angel said and smelled it. "Human; come on."

Dean refrained from commenting and simply followed. They walked on through the sewers, Angel occasionally stopping to check the ground for more blood. Dean had to admit that, even though he could never have complete faith in the vampire, he was not all that bad. He had fought extremely well in the alley and it was clear that he felt guilty about the deaths. Dean had also noted that it certainly did not seem as if he secretly worked with the other vampires. They had seemed even angrier to see him than he had been to see them. Dean was just beginning to wonder how many vampires there could possibly be in the nest when they heard voices.

Angel and Dean stopped and looked down through the tunnel. It ended a bit further down and went either to the left or to the right. The voices were coming from the left tunnel and as they grew stronger, Angel and Dean pushed up against the tunnel wall to try and hide their position. They saw two people walking past the opening to the tunnel, and it did not take Dean long to realise that they were indeed vampires, and looked strongly like two of those who had been in the alley.

"The others are going to kill us for running away." The voice of one of the vampires was loud and clear in the tunnel.

"We didn't run away!" The other growled at the first. "We would have been dusted if we'd stayed behind."

"We could have made it." The first one said.

"Don't be daft." The second one said as they started to disappear towards the right hand tunnel.

Angel did not even have to gesture to Dean to follow. They moved silently after the two vampires, only pausing to check if they were being followed. They made sure they stayed close to the walls in the hope that the two others would not notice them, and so far they had been successful. They had walked roughly forty meters down the tunnel listening to the two vampires bickering, when one of them stopped.

"Hang on." It was the first vampire that spoke. "Can you smell something?"

"What now?" The second said irritably as he too stopped.

"Can't you smell something?"

"We're in the sewers, you idiot!" The second hissed and walked on.

"Hey; hey, hey, hey! I'm sure it's not the sewers." The first had started to walk towards Angel and Dean who had pressed harder against the walls. "It's something much more…I don't know…alive…something more human."

Dean gulped. He bet that the vampire standing in front of him would not be at all pleased with him coming along now. The vampire stopped when it was only twenty meters from their hiding place. I looked around the tunnel under its frowned vampire face. He noticed that Angel's hand had slipped inside his ropes, no doubt holding onto a stake. Dean had had his fingers around his own throughout their walk through the tunnel, just in case.

The vampire looked directly at the place that they were stood and chuckled.

"Someone there?" The vampire sneered.

Angel didn't move and nor did Dean. He was quite sure that the vampire knew that there was someone there. Angel looked over his shoulder at Dean, who almost jumped at the sight of Angel's vamp-face. He held his index finger to his lips and, to Dean's surprise, jumped out in front of the vampire.

"Darn, found me then." Angel said in a voice that sounded unlike his. "What gave it away?"

"Angelus." The vampire had clearly not been prepared to see him as it jumped backwards. The other vampire had stopped and was looking at them, wondering whether to run for it or help the first.

"Where are all the others?" Angel said looking up at the ceiling as though expecting to find any vampires there.

"I bet you would like to know." The vampire said boldly, though he looked slightly nervous. "You've been fighting us for ages. It's getting on everyone's nerves."

Angel seemed unfazed by anything the vampire had to say and by the fact that the second vampire had now joined the first.

"You help humans now, Angelus; how humiliating." The second vampire said just before it ran at Angel, a stake raised in its hand.

Angel moved out of the way, but as the vampire ran passed him, it ran straight into Dean, who instinctively staked it. The first vampire looked rather petrified. It did not seem as if it had expected to find anyone else there. In mere seconds Angel had pinned the vampire to the ground, not unlike the way he had pinned down Dean.

"Let's talk." Angel said, the vampire groaning underneath Angel's weight. "How many are you?"

"Many!" the vampire cried.

"A bit more specific." Angel growled in its ear.

"I haven't counted; I can't count!" The vampire exclaimed sounding very truthful.

"Why are so many of you here? Why now?"

"I don't know; I just heard from somewhere that something big was going to happen and I just thought that it would mean more food, so I came along. Honestly I don't know anything else."

Angel turned the vampire around quickly and it turned to ash before Dean's eyes. _And Sammy says I'm rough, _Dean thought as Angel got to his feet.

"Good work." Angel said as he brushed off a bit of ash.

"Look, I think we better head back, just so…er…you know…we don't have a bonfire." Dean said, looking at his watch.

They started walking back the way they came. When Dean looked at Angel, he was quite surprised to see lines of a smile edged on his face. Dean hated feeling useless, but the feeling had rushed over him before, but the vampire's content face eased the feeling a bit.

"How many do you think there are?" Dean asked when they were back on the street.

"Oh, I don't know. If it's something really big I would say around twenty. They usually exaggerate." Angel answered as he looked towards the sky.

"Do you miss it? The sun, I mean." Dean asked before he could stop himself. Deep down he supposed that he had always longed to ask, but had never had the time, the place or the courage.

"Every day."

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**There we go; please tell me what you thought of this. :-)**

**_Disclaimer_: Same: I still don't own anything.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 then. Hope you like it. :-/ Sorry if there are a few spelling and grammar errors... ;-)**

**Thanks for all of the reviews I have received!**

* * *

The others had been very interested in hearing what had happened in the sewers. Doyle kept asking the same questions and Cordelia added in gasps. Sam, however, was quiet. He had been so pale when they had entered the apartment that even Angel had asked if everyone was alright with an eye on Sam. Angel could hear that it had been a lie when Sam had said that he was fine.

Angel had been mildly surprised by how well he had got on with the elder brother. They had hardly argued and Dean had not gone in his way. True the vampires may have let him to the nest, had he not had a human with him, but he was not angry. He never thought that he would have enjoyed a little company, but he felt that he was more like this human than either of them understood or knew. It had been clear that he had not enjoyed being asked about his health or sitting around doing nothing. Angel was sure that he had come with him in the hope that something would have happened, and not really to be in company with a vampire. However, he had been strangely friendly as they had headed back.

"Hey, Angel; look at this." Doyle said from the corner by the desk. He, Cordelia and Sam sat huddled around a piece of paper in front of him. Angel walked over to them and peered down at the paper and noticed that it was a map.

"From what Doyle told me I have been able to locate the locations of the attacks on the map." Sam said, shifting his weight slightly in his chair. "All of the red dots indicate where the attacks have been."

Dean came up behind his brother and stared at the map. Angel could see his eyes darting across the maps; searching.

"What do you make of it, Sam?" He asked keeping his eyes on the map.

Sam cleared his throat and began to explain.

"You see these red dots? They are all scattered around the neighbourhood; but if you draw together the ones furthest away from the others, look what the centre is. It's here. You said they were planning something big? I don't think it has anything to do with food or the killings."

"What then, Sammy?" Dean asked his eyes still fixed on the map.

Sam shot a glance at Angel who met his gaze.

"I think they are planning to bring down you."

Angel didn't say anything; he simply nodded and straightened up. He walked towards the fridge, but stopped halfway and when he turned around, surprisingly he was grinning. The four others stared at him in disbelief.

"I must be really pissing them off, huh?" Angel chuckled.

No one else laughed.

* * *

Dean liked Angel's attitude. He had been taken aback to see the vampire smiling, but started to understand. Wouldn't he have felt the same way if a bunch of vampires thought they needed an army to try and take down him alone? Dean started smiling too. Hell, this was going to be good.

"Angel, please don't get too happy." Cordelia added blankly from behind Doyle's shoulder.

Angel didn't answer, but merely opened the fridge and took out one small bag of blood. Dean again felt his instincts telling him to do something, _anything_, but he did not listen. The vampire had proved himself trustworthy and a bit of blood-drinking was not going to change that. Dean still found it hard to put complete faith in the vampire, but then he thought that he had probably never done that to anyone, except maybe for Sam.

"You okay there, Sam?" Dean said as he watched Sam trying to hide a grimace of pain. "Sammy?"

"I'm fine, Dean. I think I just need some rest." Sam whispered.

"Don't we all." Cordelia said as she walked towards the coffee machine. "I have never had such a long night. I mean at high school I could be out all night, no problem. That was different, though. No looking through scraps of paper in the bins, because Doyle had 'accidentally' thrown them out and no putting red dots on a map."

"I think we need some food, before the rest." Doyle said happily.

"Sounds great." Dean said, feeling a great appreciation for the half-breed. He did not know what the demon-half of Doyle's was, but it did not seem as if it had made him evil.

A couple of hours later nearly all of them were assembled in Angel's office. Sam and Dean had booked a room in a local motel, but Dean had left Sam sleeping. He had put a note under Sam's phone telling him where he had gone. Cordelia had not arrived either, but Doyle told them that she had been extremely grumpy when she had given him a lift to his place. Doyle had arrived just after Dean and had given Dean compliments about his car. He really was not that bad, that Doyle.

"Any visions?" Angel asked Doyle as he entered the room.

"No. it's very weird. I've actually been allowed to rest for a couple of hours without a migraine with pictures." Doyle answered, settling himself against a wall.

"How's your brother?" Angel asked Dean. Dean was not sure if it was concern in his voice or if he simply asked to be polite.

"Not too good. Sam will never admit to anything being wrong, you see." Dean said. "I left him at the motel; he won't thank me for that when he wakes up."

Dean chuckled. He imagined Sam's voice telling him off for not waking him. Dean walked out of Angel's office and peered through the blinds. He gasped.

"Angel! Doyle!" He called and heard them rushing out of the office. They too looked out through the blinds, though Angel took care not to stand there for too long. Dean, however, caught the slight scent of burning flesh.

"Why are they standing there waiting to burn?" Doyle asked, looking at Dean.

Dean was thinking the very same thing. Outside, ten people stood in cloaks pulled over their heads, though smoke could still be seen rising from each of them. Dean wondered what on earth they were doing. They didn't really seem all that terrifying when they were standing out in the sun. However, he had to admit that his insecurity frightened him.

"Dude, are they really as stupid as they look?" Dean asked Angel, looking away from the vampires outside.

Angel looked worried; worse than Dean had yet seen him. The smile from earlier could just as well appeared centuries before. He had backed up against the wall and was eyeing the blinds. He looked down towards his feet and when he looked up he was in vamp-face.

"Doyle; open the door." He whispered. It was not a question.

"What? No, man, what do you think you're playing at?" Doyle exclaimed, backing away from the blinds as well.

Angel grabbed his cloak and started walking towards the door. Dean stared at him. What was he doing?

"Dude, there's no need to turn the place into a barbeque." Dean said.

"Nightfall is approaching and when it does they are all moving in, undoubtedly with backup. If I'm right, then these are being tested…tested to see how long they can stand in the sun." Angel said stopping at the door.

"Hm. Then why don't I just go out there and get rid of them. True I have never killed a vampire in broad daylight, but what the hell." Dean suggested, and the vampire looked puzzled; he had clearly forgotten that Dean was more than capable at killing vampires in daylight.

"Sure, that's a good idea." Angel confessed.

"I'll come with you." Doyle said grabbing a stake from Angel.

"Are you sure? 'Cause I'll be fine…" Dean said quietly, unsure whether Doyle was any good at this kind of thing.

As an answer Doyle pushed open the doors and walked into the sunshine with Dean following closely at his heels. The vampires in the street looked up. They looked dazed and weakened after having stood in the sun for so long. Dean wondered if this was going to be too easy. One of the vampires threw off its cloak and ran at them, but before it had run ten meters it had burst into flames. Dean looked at Doyle and noticed that he was looking just as taken aback as Dean felt.

Another vampire repeated what the first had tried and got a little bit further only to be staked by Dean just as it burst into flames. The other vampires now looked even more worried. Dean still did not have a clue what they were doing in the street, but it made it a hell of a lot easier to kill them. He and Doyle had quickly rid the street of vampires.

"Well, that was fun." Doyle said as they headed back towards the apartment. "Weird, but kind of fun."

"My brother, Sam, would be sitting in a corner looking gloomy trying to find a reason for it, if he had seen it." Dean said as he pushed open the door.

A chair flew past his ear. He and Doyle jumped into the room and saw five vampires wrestling Angel. They seemed to be a lot stronger than the ones that had been in the alley. Dean picked up the crossbow that was lying at the foot of the couch.

"Hey!" He shouted and all of the vampires looked around. Dean fired an arrow and it hit its target. One vampire launched at them, but Dean quickly fired of a second arrow.

There were now four vampires in the room: Angel and three others. The three others were fighting Angel who was bleeding from his stomach where a stake was sticking out. Dean fired one more arrow, narrowing the number of vampires they were fighting down to two. Realising there were no more arrows, Dean threw the crossbow aside and instead ran at the vampires with a stake in his hand; Doyle at his side. The two vampires looked mildly surprised before they too turned to ash.

"Dude, what the hell is going on?" Dean exclaimed.

Angel sank into a chair eyeing the stake in his side.

"They are planning something, and they are definitely annoyed with me." Angel panted, though a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Doyle? Will you help me get this thing out?"

After Doyle had removed the stake and cleaned the wound, Angel seemed to be feeling better already. All three of them had theories about what the vampires were up to, each of their ideas seemed unlikely.

"Maybe they want Angelus back?" Doyle suggested.

"Oh yeah, because he was tons of fun." Angel said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe they just want somewhere they can eat without you spoiling their every move." Doyle said. Angel and Dean looked at him.

"That sounds more likely." Dean said. "They are just not that good at doing anything right, though."

"I must admit that their attempt at killing me right now might have succeeded had I been alone." Angel said quietly. He looked up at Doyle and Dean again. "Thank you."

"No problem." Dean said, flashing a smile. "I'll be back; I just need to check on Sam."

"You haven't heard from him?" Doyle asked.

"No." Dean answered as he suddenly realised that it was indeed very strange that he had not heard from his brother.

"I'm sure he's fine." Doyle said reassuringly, though he did not sound completely sure.

"Of course he will." Dean left the apartment and walked towards the Impala. He drove as quickly as he dared, thinking about the events that had taken place, but most of all about his brother. _He's just pissed that you left without him_, Dean thought, _that's why he hasn't called you_.

He parked the Impala in front of the motel and walked towards the door. He peered through the windows, but saw nothing. He fidgeted with his pockets before withdrawing the key to the room and sticking it in the keyhole. The door creaked slightly as he opened it. He stopped just inside the room and looked across the room.

Nothing. No one.

"Sammy?" Dean said quietly to the room. He walked cautiously towards Sam's bed. He noticed patches of blood on the covers trailing off the side of the bed. "SAM!"

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**I was not at all pleased with this chapter; nothing really seem to come easy. :-( **

**Please review anyway.**

**_Disclaimer_: I own nothing...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't believe the response - I hope this chapter doesn't put everyone off. ;-)**

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"I'm in the car…what? No I can't come over right now. Doyle…Doyle! Listen! Where is the nearest hospital?...I'm fine, it's Sam. Call me if you need my help…No, I got to go." Dean quickly put the phone down into his pocket and urged the Impala to go faster. The engine rumbled in agreement and sped down the road. Dean cast yet another look at Sam. How the hell could this have happened? He hadn't been this bad when he had left him.

The stitches that Doyle had done on Sam seemed to have been ripped off, letting the blood flow vigorously from Sam's shoulder again. Dean was cursing under his breath for having left him alone. He knew he shouldn't have. At the time, it just seemed the right thing to do. He parked the Impala in front of the hospital and hurried inside. Help came to him immediately and he watched helplessly as Sam was taken away down a corridor and into a room.

Dean sat down on a chair in the waiting room and stared into empty space. He had been given insurance papers and started filling in the name box: Sam McGillicutty. He had never questioned having false identities, but sitting there now, pretending Sam was somebody else, was suddenly hard for him. He knew he lied his ass off with more than fifty percent, but he continued, nonetheless.

He jumped slightly when his phone rang.

"Hey Bobby." Dean said as he answered the phone.

"_How are you doing there, Dean?_" Bobby asked. Dean noticed a light note of concern. "_You know you scared the shit out of me before._"

"Yeah, sorry about that, Bobby." Dean whispered.

"_You mentioned something about a vampire?_"

"Don't worry about that, Bobby, it's actually a…er…good vampire." Dean said uncertainly.

"_What?_" Bobby exclaimed.

"I know; it took me some time to realise. I mean he was the one who injured, Sam, but we've fought a lot of vampires now and he's is definitely okay." Dean said quickly.

"_Okay._" Bobby said. It sounded like he only said to have something to say. "_So, how's Sam?_"

Dean felt his stomach tighten into a knot.

"Well…er…he seemed alright, but I just drove him to the hospital." Dean explained, leaving out that he had left Sam alone.

"_He's alright, isn't he?_" Bobby asked concerned.

"You know the Geek Boy. He's always alright." Dean said, unsure whether it was to reassure Bobby or himself.

"_Call me if you need help, okay Dean?_" Bobby said questioningly. He knew that Dean often had trouble asking for help.

"Sure, Bobby; see you." Dean ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket.

He had barely put down the phone and returned to the papers before a pair of black shoes stood in front of him. Dean looked up and saw Angel in his black coat, staring at him. He settled himself in a chair next to Dean, who moved an inch or two in the opposite direction.

"How's he doing?" Angel asked.

"I don't know yet." Dean said honestly. He chuckled. "Dude, the next time you throw someone; look where you throw them first."

"Yeah, I know." Angel said eyeing the ceiling as though finding it very interesting. Dean noticed that even for a vampire, he looked pale and tired.

"It was always my job to protect Sammy." Dean blurted out without meaning to. Angel removed his gaze from the ceiling and turned instead to Dean. "Sam was only half a year old when our mum died, you see; so while dad was hunting the thing that killed her, I had to look after Sam. Now I've screwed up a couple of times, and after every one of those times I tell myself that I will never let it happen again. I guess I'm just pretty good at screwing things up."

Dean had not looked at the vampire at all while talking, but could feel Angel's eyes on him. Dean felt pathetic. Why was he sitting here spilling out this stuff to a vampire?

"Where's your dad now?" Angel asked looking back at the ceiling.

"Dead." Came Dean's simple response. He did not feel he needed to go into great details. Angel did not say anything, but kept his gaze at the ceiling. "What are you actually doing here?"

"Doyle told me what you had said, so I thought I would drop in, considering that it was my fault after all." Angel said simply. With him it was always hard to place his tone of voice. It was hardly ever toneless, but the way he said things could mean so many different things.

"How did you become a…you know?" Dean asked, looking at the vampire again.

"Who sired me? A female vampire named Darla." Angel answered, again in that almost blank voice. "In Ireland, 1753."

"You don't look bad for your age." Dean joked. A hint of a smile appeared on Angel's face.

Angel looked at Dean and nodded in the direction of the corridor, where Sam's doctor came walking towards them. Dean stood up and greeted the doctor when they were face to face.

"How is he?" Dean asked at once. The doctor looked at him; Dean wondered why he didn't just answer, why he had to look like he was trying to choose his words carefully.

"He had lost a fair amount of blood and his collar bone had been scraped. The stitches that had been done in the first place had not been able to hold, my guess is because of too much exercise." The doctor eyed Dean carefully, but Dean did not wince. "He's sleeping now, but he should be alright in a couple of days as long as he takes it easy; so we would like to keep him here for observation."

"How long?" Dean asked, again feeling Angel eyeing him.

"Just a couple of days." The doctor assured him.

"Can I…we see him?" Dean asked gesturing towards Angel.

"Of course Mr McGillicutty." The doctor said leading the way towards Sam's room.

"Mr McGillicutty?" Angel whispered in Dean's ear as they walked down the corridor.

"Dad's idea." Dean said, flashing a smile. "Mine are usually a lot cooler."

They stopped in front of a white door which the doctor pushed open and emitting them inside; telling them not to be too long. There he was; lying on a bed with white sheets looking less pale than before. Dean was relieved; he actually did look like he was going to alright. He walked across the room and sat in a chair by Sam's side. Angel stood somewhere behind him like a dark shadow.

Dean had no idea of long he just sat there; he didn't know why he didn't say anything, perhaps he just couldn't find any words. Angel did not speak either, but just waited. Dean knew that he had not just come to pay his respects, but also because there was a job out there for them to finish. With Sam out of the game he realised that getting the help from the vampire, might not such a bad idea after all.

Angel watched the two brothers from the shadows of the corner. He did not want to disturb Dean or rush him. He had to admit that he had almost felt a jab of worry when Doyle told him what Dean had said. He had hurried off to the hospital, keeping his eyes open for any vampires. Doyle had not had any visions, which Angel took as a bad sign instead of a good one. The vampires were not scared, they had proved that much. Their strange behaviour frightened slightly, and after weeks of attacks, one night without one, seemed almost abnormal.

He watched as Dean got up from his chair and walked towards the door. He noticed that he looked slightly dazed, but understood that it was probably after seeing his brother in such a state.

"We've got work to do." Dean said as Angel followed him out of the door.

Dean drove like a man possessed towards Angel's apartment. The Impala did not protest, Angel on the other hand did not really like being the passenger when a car was driving at this speed. He was fine when he was driving, but whenever he wasn't he suddenly felt all of the sharp turns, the sudden brakes and the fast accelerations. He was at least happy that it was nightfall so he at least did not have to worry about keeping a blanket over his head.

"Angel!" Doyle exclaimed as they walked into the apartment. "I think you better come and talk to Cordy; she's pretty distressed."

He was not joking. When they walked into Angel office Cordelia was pacing around, looking though she was either going to have a fit of rage or start crying. Angel noticed that Dean stayed by the door. _Probably not a stupid thing to do_, Angel thought as he watched Cordelia's pacing.

"You should have told me it was that serious!" Cordelia suddenly cried, making Dean and Angel jump.

"I should have told you what was how serious?" Angel said, trying to remain calm.

"Vampires, Angel. Jeez, I know you're dead and all, but could you try being a little less slow in the uptake?" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Cordy, what happened?" Angel asked, ignoring Cordelia's comment.

"I was going to my car, to drive over here." Cordelia said, calming down slightly. "Then I started driving until all of a sudden I just happened to drive someone over."

Angel watched the others faces. Doyle had probably heard this before because he was nodding sympathetically; Dean looked like he was wondering whether it was possible to just _happen_ to drive over someone. Angel tried to remain calm and seem sympathetic and try not to worry Cordelia even more.

"And?" He urged her on when she did not continue.

"Well, I started to get out of my car to check if he was alright, when he got up and I noticed that he was a vampire. Why do they always go after me?" Cordelia suddenly shrieked. "It's not fair, they never go after Doyle!"

"Thanks, Cordelia." Doyle said vacantly.

"_And_?" Angel pressed on.

"And then a lot more came running out of nowhere. They were clearly after me." Cordelia finished looking sullen.

"Well, they weren't going to kill you, I don't think because I haven't had any visions." Doyle said. It became clear very quickly that he had said the wrong thing.

"I guess that makes it alright then." Cordelia snapped.

"No of course it doesn't –" Doyle began, but Cordelia cut him to it.

"Don't take anything serious when I was just about to be mauled by vicious vampires –" Cordelia was interrupted by Doyle.

"But I just told you; you were most likely not going to die because –" Angel interrupted Doyle.

"Guys! It won't help anything fighting." He said.

"Hang on; if they weren't going to kill you what were they going to use you for?" Dean asked.

Cordelia looked for a moment like she was going to have another fit but instead said, "Maybe they were going to use me in some ritual; they've tried to use me before for that."

"I think it's probably more to do with Angel." Doyle suggested.

"Why does everything have to do with Angel?" Cordelia said.

"Well, you just said that everything had to do with you." Doyle said truthfully. Cordelia did not comment.

"This cult is not behaving like any I've ever seen before." Angel said, hoping to keep his team from fighting. He looked at Dean. "What about you?"

"As I'm not a vampire myself, it's a little hard to comment, but I have come across unusual vampire cults before. There was one that had decided not to feed off people anymore. I'm afraid that is not what these have decided on."

Angel moved across to his desk and rested his hands on the surface for a while. He turned his head around and eyed Dean.

"I think it's time we had another look in the sewers."

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**That's that - still not pleased. ;-) Please review!**

**_Disclaimer_: I still own nothing - strange huh?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for your reviews! And thanks to those who come back and keep reviewing! **

**This is shorter than the other chapters, but hopefully it works.**

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The sewers were just as dark and damp as the first time Dean had set foot in them. Angel and Dean had loaded themselves with everything from guns to crossbows; even Doyle had requested to come along, but Angel told him that it would probably be better to keep watch over Cordelia, just in case any vampires were to come round again.

"So," Dean said, breaking the ten minutes silence, "you said you lived off rats?"

"For a while, yes." Angel replied keeping his eyes on the tunnel.

"Did you by any chance live in the sewers, because you got to admit, dude, you do look quite at home." Dean said with a chuckle.

Angel did not answer at first, but merely walked on. Dean was just about to say that it was a joke when Angel spoke.

"At some point or another after I had my soul, I did. Long life: many memories."

They walked on in silence, Dean pondering how strange it would feel to have memories of what happened a hundred years previous. He was a strange bloke, him Angel; Dean had to admit. He definitely liked his black: always the black shirt, black trousers, black shoes and the long black coat.

"How long have you known Doyle and Cordelia?" Dean asked, breaking the silence once more.

"Cordelia goes way back." Angel chuckled. "Doyle, however, I have only known for a month or two."

"You're kidding. He seems quite at home."

"Doyle's great. I mean, I was very critical of him in the beginning, but he made me snap out of a pretty dark place in my mind and get on with…er…yeah I guess you would call it life."

"He said you shouldn't get too happy." Dean said, remembering Doyle telling him, but at the time he had not really paid attention.

"One moment of true happiness and Angelus is back." Angel told him.

"And Angelus, he…you…whatever, was really evil?" Dean asked looking up at the vampire.

"Well, he definitely got a kick out of killing." Angel admitted, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"The soul you've got, gypsies gave it to you?" Dean said walking on down the tunnel, keeping relatively close to the clammy walls.

"Cursed me with it actually. Let's just say that Angelus ate the wrong girl." Angel said as he quickened his pace.

They were retracing their steps from the last time they were in the sewers hoping to find a sign of the nest or even of one of the vampires from the cult somewhere. So far they had been unsuccessful, apart from Angel located splodges of blood occasionally as they walked deeper into the tunnels. Dean kept checking his watch, making sure that they were not spending too long down in the sewers. Dean had his mind half on the job and half on Sam. Dean checked his watch again. They had now been walking around the sewers for twenty-five minutes.

They walked on; keeping their eyes and ears open. At one point Dean thought he heard something, but when he turned around he saw nothing. After having walked for forty minutes, Dean suggested that they should make a marathon in the tunnels. He was just beginning to wonder whether they would find anything, when a voice behind them startled them.

"Here again, Angelus."

"It's Angel now." Angel said coldly eyeing the six vampires in front of them.

"Of course it is." The vampire that had spoken before said. "I need not ask what your business is down here, do I?"

"Well that depends; if you think I am looking for a new place to call home, you do need to ask why I am here." Angel said calmly as if this was a normal conversation in normal circumstances.

"No, I think you are looking for our nest; and you've even brought bait." The vampire said as it turned its gaze to Dean.

Dean opened his mouth to argue, but just then his phone started to ring. He took it out and looked at it. He flashed a smile at the vampires.

"Excuse me." He chuckled. "Hello…McGillicutty? McGillicutty….McGillicutty! Yes, yes, sorry, yes that's me…He is? Okey dokey…Yes…Of course…I'll be there, just…er…some business to attend to first…Yep…no problem…Bye."

The vampires, including Angel, stared at him in disbelief. It seemed that his sudden fuss over the phone had put the other vampires slightly off the track of their conversation.

"Sorry about that," Dean said with another smile, "but I got to nip off, so we'll just make this quick."

* * *

Angel stared at the young hunter, not quite sure whether to laugh or cry. He really was a strange character. At Dean's last words, Angel watched him throw himself at the vampires. They were all taken by complete surprise, thinking that Dean was just bait, that he had staked two before they had even reacted.

"Dean? Dean…er…do you need…some…help?" Angel asked uncertainly as he watched Dean stake another vampire, punching a second at the same time.

Dean did not respond, but instead staked the vampire he had just punched and hurriedly staking another. The one remaining vampire was the one who had spoken earlier. It looked at Dean for a split second before turning around and starting to sprint off back down through the tunnel. Angel watched as Dean took out his gun and shut the vampire in the back of both knees. The vampire yelped and fell to the ground. In mere seconds Dean had turned the vampire on the damp floor to face him and sat on top of it, with a stake ready at its chest.

"Where's the nest?" Angel heard Dean's voice echo through the tunnel. He heard a low growling as an answer, Dean's response being punching the vampire hard across its face. Dean repeated his question and this time Angel moved a bit closer to listen.

"I am not to tell; if I tell I will be punished." The vampire whimpered.

"Do I look like a care much?" Dean said raising the stake slightly, ready to strike.

"No." The vampire admitted.

"Right then; where's the nest?"

"There is no nest." The vampire said, its pointed teeth showing clearly. "There are meetings sometimes at different areas in the city."

"Where's the next meeting?" Dean asked tonelessly.

"Look in my right pocket."

Angel watched as Dean fished out a piece of paper from the vampire's pocket and put it in his own.

"How many of you are there?" Dean said, repeating the question Angel had asked.

"Many!" The vampire exclaimed.

"Yeah, we've heard that before." Dean said quietly. His voice rose slightly as he spoke again. "_How_ many?"

"I don't know; the number varies from the meetings. Not everybody shows up every time, so it's impossible to know for sure."

"Thanks." Dean said as he got off the vampire and walked past it, the vampire still lying on the floor.

"Wait!" The vampire called after him as it got to its feet. "Aren't you going to stake me?"

"Nah…consider it payment for the information." Dean said without turning around.

"But you've got to kill me!" The vampire persisted.

"You are already dead, dude." Dean argued as he walked on. The vampire seemed to have forgotten Angel was even there.

"But…but the others won't like it if I say that all the others are…are gone, but not me." The vampire said, fear noticeable in its voice.

"No need to worry; you fought like a hero." Dean joked, still not looking back.

"But…but…but…" The vampire stuttered as it stared after Dean.

"Lay off." Angel whispered to it as he too walked past.

The vampire stared after them as they walked. When Angel was only a few meters from Dean he looked back and saw the vampire sitting against the tunnel walls, feeling for the bullets in the back of its knees. Dean wore a mask of utter amusement when Angel caught up with him. Angel did not really know what to say, so they walked on in silence.

After having walked for nearly an hour they climbed back onto the street. The night sky was strewn with bright stars. Dean stared at them for a second before heading for the Impala.

"I've just got to go and check on my brother, then I'll come back." Dean said as Angel too climbed onto the street. Angel walked over to him and Dean handed him the piece of paper he had taken from the vampire. "Here; I think it's in some code. You see if that team of yours can work it out."

"Everything alright with your brother?" Angel asked as Dean clambered into the Impala.

"Yeah, he just woke up and asked to see me, so off I go." Dean said with a smile as he closed the door.

Angel could here the music booming from the car as it sped down the road. Angel turned his eyes away from the car and walked back towards the apartment. It had been a very easy night for him, he had to admit. All he had had to do was walk along the tunnels in the sewers and watch Dean beat up some vampires, and then go back through the tunnels. It had probably been one of the easiest nights he had had in a long time.

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**I was (finally) rather pleased with this chapter. Please tell me what you think!**

**_Disclaimer_: same old - I don't own the shows or the characters.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Again a major thanks for all of your reviews! Chapter 10 then...**

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His feet thudded heavily against the floor as he walked down the hospital corridor. The doctor had politely excused him for the time of the call, but his brother had persisted that he wanted to see him. Ever since the phone call Dean had wondered what Sam had to say to him that was so important that it could not wait until morning. He did feel rather pleased with himself, though, after the fight in the sewers.

Dean was showed to Sam's room and told that he could stay for as long as he liked. Sam was sitting on the bed, his back propped up against some pillows. He looked wide awake, despite the fact that it was in the early hours of morning. He quickly removed his gaze from the instruments around him when the door opened. Dean walked in and sat on the chair he had sat in earlier.

"How're you feeling, Sammy?" Dean asked with concern, though he tried to hide it.

"I'm fine." Sam said.

"How're you feeling, Sammy?" Dean repeated, fixing his eyes on Sam, daring him to lie.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Okay, my shoulder and arm doesn't move as well as it could have, but apart from that I feel fine." Sam confessed, glaring at his brother. "You look quite happy."

"Yeah, I just took out five vampires by myself, and then got information out of the sixth." Dean grinned.

"By yourself? But I thought you were working with Angel." Sam said frowning at Dean, clearly worried what his brother might have been up to in his absence.

"He was, but I was in a bit of a hurry because the doctor had just called me and told me that you urgently needed to talk to me." Dean said hurriedly.

"So, did you find anything? I mean, did you get anything useful from the vampire?" Sam asked.

"Yeah; apparently there isn't a nest, there are –" Dean began, but Sam cut him to it.

"– meetings instead."

"How did you know that?" Dean said, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Well, when I woke up in the motel room, I decided that I could just as well try and do a bit more research. Dwelling deeper I noticed that the attacks have been spread out, yes, but if you put a date on each of the attacks you can see that they synchronize with the meetings. Once there has been a meeting in one place, there are attacks in that area for a little while. Then another meeting, and attacks in that area, and so on."

"Not bad, Geek Boy." Dean said truthfully. "So why didn't you call me?"

"I…er…went to get the phone, when I felt dizzy and I think I lay down on the bed for a while; next thing I know, I'm here." Sam sighed as he indicated to the room with his hand.

"Lucky you I went to check on you." Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess. What have you been doing then?" Sam asked curiously.

"Fighting vampires…fighting vampires…oh, and let's see, fighting vampires." Dean said as he counted dramatically on his fingers.

"Did you find out anything that I didn't?" Sam said, chuckling slightly.

"Well, apparently there are quite a few vampires; oh, and Sammy, you're going to be feeling so jealous that I found out about this: I know where the next meeting is." Dean said proudly.

"You surprise me sometimes, big brother; where is it?" Sam joked.

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well…er…I got a piece of paper from the vampire upon which is the time and place of the next meeting." Dean explained. "The only thing is that it is in some kind of code. I left the piece of paper with Angel, so he and the other two could have a look at it."

"So you don't know when or where the next meeting is?" Sam concluded, looking slightly disappointed, but not surprised.

"I'm going back there to check up on them." Dean said, trying to wiggle his way out of the problem.

"I could help, you know." Sam said, though he did not look at Dean.

"You're not going anywhere until you feel better, okay?" Dean said. No way was he letting his brother into another fight right now.

"If the others can't find anything, can't you just bring the piece of paper here?" Sam pleaded.

"Alright, but I don't want you playing up, and don't give me that look."

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"Sounds like he fought pretty good." Doyle said as he lowered his eyes to the small piece of paper in front of him.

"It wasn't bad." Angel admitted.

"Oh come on, Angel; you are impressed." Cordelia said happily as she too looked at the paper. "What are all these then?"

"They are codes." Doyle said. "I don't know what they mean, though."

"Any ideas?" Angel asked hopefully. These vampires were careful, too careful; it worried Angel that they actually thought far enough to give the place and time of their meeting place in codes.

"Angel, why don't you get some sleep, man? I'll take a look at it." Doyle suggested.

Angel admitted that it would probably be a good idea to at least rest for a while. If a big fight was coming, he had to be ready. I saw clearly the scene from the tunnels as he lay down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He had underestimated the young hunter. Angel smiled slightly as he agreed with himself that it was probably good that Dean and his brother were on his side.

He woke with a start when he heard a door close and loud voices above him. He quickly dragged himself out of bed and hurried to the elevator, which as usual thought it had all the time in the world. He climbed out of it and saw Dean, Doyle and Cordelia all sitting on the couch staring at the piece of paper lying in front of them, clutching a bottle of beer each.

"Hullo." Doyle said happily and smiled at Angel.

"What time is it?" Angel asked, rubbing his eyes as he turned to the coffee machine.

"Eleven. Give or take a few minutes." Dean said as he leaned forwards and picked up the piece of paper.

"You are drinking beer at eleven o'clock in the morning?" Angel asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Dean said, clearly finding nothing wrong with the situation.

"Worked out the code?" Angel asked as he sat down on the chair opposite the couch, giving up on the coffee.

"Nope." The three others said together.

Angel didn't say anything. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes merely watching the piece of paper as though a little man was suddenly going to jump out of it and sing to them in a happy tune where and when the next meeting was.

"How was your brother?" Angel was the one to break the silence.

"He was alright." Dean said putting his empty beer bottle down on the table. "Sammy is not a great fan of hospitals. Hell, he even took me to a faith healer once, instead of letting me die in a hospital."

Dean looked dazed for a moment as though thinking back. It took Angel a few seconds to work out what he had said.

"You were dyeing and you went to a faith healer?" Angel asked.

"Long story." Dean said, waving his hand to as a sign that he was not going to tell them. "We've had some rough times, but we've always come through alright." They were silent again for a while, when Dean said, "You know, Sam said that I should bring the piece of paper to him if we could not work it out."

"Let's go then." Angel said, jumping up from the chair, happy that he had something to do.

"Angel, not to be rude or anything, but...er…look outside." Doyle said truthfully.

Angel had quite forgotten about the sun. He did not really fancy being burnt today, so he reluctantly agreed to stay. Doyle and Cordelia on the other hand were happy to accompany Dean out to his car.

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Dean did not mind showing off the Impala a bit as the three of them sped towards the hospital. He listened to Cordelia constant compliments of the car, and agreed with her vigorously every time. Doyle too seemed to enjoy the ride to the hospital, though Dean did notice him allow his gaze to drift to Cordelia.

He parked in front of the hospital and they walked inside. For Dean this could be a different hospital than the one he had visited just a few hours previous. Now there seemed to be people everywhere, whereas in the earlier hours, many parts of the hospital had seemed almost deserted. However, despite the rush, they quickly got hold of a nurse who showed them to Sam's room.

He still looked wide awake and had it not been for the bandaged shoulder, anyone would have asked him why he was in hospital.

"Hey Dean." He said as they entered the room. "Cordelia; Doyle."

All of them started the polite greetings and exchanging polite concerns for each other, before Dean handed Sam the piece of paper. He looked at it for a while before asking Dean for pen and paper. Cordelia went for coffee, while Sam worked and after half an hour he looked up, just as they were all finishing their coffee.

"Here." He said as he handed a piece of paper to Dean. Doyle read the words Sam had scribbled on the paper aloud.

"Sewers; eleven o'clock at night; Angel."

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**That's that then - hope you liked it. Please review either way!**

**_Disclaimer_: I - own - nothing.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for all of your reviews! It has been so much fun writing this story, but sadly this is the last chapter. I hope you like it!**

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Dean looked from the piece of paper in his hand to Sam.

"You sure that's what it says? Nothing else?" Dean asked.

"It said Angelus instead of Angel, but you told me that's what they call him." Sam answered, shifting his weight slightly on the bed.

"What do you reckon it means?" Doyle asked as he snatched the paper from Dean's hand and stared at Sam's scrawl.

"Sewers?" Cordelia requested as she looked over Doyle's shoulder.

"Oh really; I would never have guessed." Doyle said sarcastically, keeping his eyes on the piece of paper.

For a moment it looked as though Cordelia was going to snap back at him, but she kept quiet.

"We should get back to Angel," She said as she looked away from the paper in Doyle's hand, "see what he thinks."

"I'm coming with you." Sam said and he started to climb out of the hospital bed.

"What? No, Sammy! You're staying here." Dean exclaimed as he rushed forward and pushed his brother back on the bed.

"Dean, come on!" Sam said, pushing Dean away from him.

"Do you guys want some space?" Doyle asked tentatively as he and Cordelia started backing out of the room.

"We're fine." Sam and Dean said.

Dean looked at Sam's sulking face for a while. He did look a lot better, but he was not going to let him go into a fight right now.

"Look, Sam, I'll keep you informed on what's going on, alright." Dean said, trying to stay calm; now was not the time to start a row with his brother.

"Okay." Sam sighed as he realized his defeat. He then looked up, a little more joy in his face. "Jerk."

"Bitch." Dean answered before turning around and walking out of the room, Doyle and Cordelia at his side.

"That's one funny way of greeting each other." Doyle said as they were leaving the hospital.

"Yeah; it's been going on forever." Dean chuckled.

They all climbed into the Impala; Dean turned on the engine and sent the car down the road while AC/DC started playing loudly. Again Cordelia started complementing the car and Dean's driving and taste of music; then back to the car, until Doyle told if she would please be quiet as he was starting to get a headache. Asking him hurriedly if it was a vision, Doyle merely shook his head.

"So, how long time since you guys slept?" Dean started to make friendly conversation. He had never been very good at it, but he knew that he never would.

"Oh, we got some sleep when you and Angel left for the sewers." Cordelia said happily as though she could find nothing wrong with sleeping, while Dean and Angel were risking their lives. However, Doyle seemed to have found a flaw in Cordelia's words.

"Well, we did a bit of research first." He said.

"So what do you think our vampire friend has been up to?" Dean asked with a grin on his face.

"Knowing Angel; probably brooding." Cordelia answered.

"He does that a lot." Doyle informed Dean.

Dean nodded without really realising it, but suddenly asked, "Why?"

"Oh, he feels he needs to feel sorry for himself." Cordelia said. "It's that whole, 'I'm a vampire with a soul, I must not be happy' kind of deal."

"He's a bit hard to cheer up, but he gets there occasionally." Doyle said. "Though, he's not too keen on going anywhere; he'd much rather just sit in a dark room."

"He did seem quite comfortable in the sewers." Dean said as he stared at the road. The other two refrained from commenting, but he could feel both of them staring at him. Maybe they hadn't seen so much of Angel down in the sewers.

They parked the Impala and walked towards Angel's apartment. They were only a few feet from the door when they heard the phone ringing inside. They rushed in and saw Angel staring at the phone, but not picking it up.

"Don't just stand there!" Cordelia exclaimed as she rushed to the phone and picked it up. "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless."

Cordelia spoke for a couple of minutes, asking Angel's questions occasionally which he answered with little interest as Doyle and Dean were telling him what Sam had found out. He too looked at what Sam had written down.

"There wasn't a more specific time for when this meeting is?" Angel asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Sorry, man; that's all it said." Doyle said as he leant back on the couch. "It's weird though; I haven't had any visions for a while. I mean they came like speeding bullets and now…"

"Maybe they are going on a hunger strike." Cordelia suggested as she joined Dean and Doyle on the couch.

No one commented.

Having discussed the matter for a while they decided that since Angel's name was in the matter, they were either meeting in the sewers near his apartment, or he was the main subject of their meeting, or both. Angel did seem mildly impressed at Sam's ability to work out the code, but he did not talk about it. Dean concluded that he was the kind of guy that simply tried to see the future and not the past.

Dean had lied saying that he needed to back and get something at the motel as an excuse to get some rest and grab something to eat. He did not know why that he refrained from telling them exactly what he was doing; perhaps he still had a sense of unease, though he told himself that they had all proven themselves trustworthy. Driving back to the motel he tried to figure out what was going to happen about the vampire meeting. They had decided to check the sewers near Angel's apartment that night to see if they found any sign of the vampires. If not, they would come back the following night and so on.

He thought back to the drive he and Sam had had to Los Angeles. It seemed so long ago now; almost a different life. He had never thought that he would actually befriend a vampire; that he could find a creature out there that he thought worth hunting where he was mistaken. He still fought against his instincts as they kept telling him to kill Angel. He argued with them. Strangely, he had actually found that he did not mind the vampire's company. Even Angel seemed more relaxed when Dean was with him in the sewers than he had done in the beginning.

A couple of hours later when dusk was approaching, Dean climbed back into his trustworthy Impala. He let the music fill his ears, thinking that should help to wake him up completely. He did not find that he was in that much in a hurry as they had decided that they would head for the sewers at half past eleven that night, to give them time to search for the vampires. When he had parked the Impala and, after checking no one was looking, opened the trunk and took out anything he would thought that he would need: holy water, stakes, crossbows, even a gun.

Entering the apartment, he found the first room deserted. He walked towards Angel office, but opening the door found that deserted too. He walked back out and headed for the elevator just as it came clambering up, revealing three heads.

"You know," Dean said, making the three occupants jump, "if you had been my enemy it would have been so easy just to…" Dean made a motion with his finger as though shooting a gun. The three others did not laugh.

They discussed their battle plans over and over again in the next couple of hours. Dean got various phone calls from Bobby and Sam: Bobby to make sure that Dean did not need any help; Sam to plead for allowing to come.

"So, what is it with Sam?" Angel asked, taking everybody by surprise.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, though he had a vague idea what the vampire was talking about. Could he possibly sense that Sam was not quite…well, normal?

"He was very interested in Doyle's visions." Angel said again in that tone that was so hard to place.

Dean did not know whether or not to say anything. He had sworn to Sam not to say anything, but he also knew that it would be hard to keep lying. Knowing that Sam would never forgive him if he told the truth was enough of a boost for Dean to lie.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Angel nodded but didn't say anything. Doyle and even Cordelia kept quiet too. There was a sudden sense of uncertainty in the room as if all of them needed to rethink their trust for each other. Dean took a deep sigh.

"Sam has visions." Dean confessed, cursing under his breath afterwards.

"Well that explains a lot." Doyle said, sounding as though Christmas had come early. None of them asked any more questions and the room was suddenly calm and trusting again.

By half past eleven, Dean, Angel, Doyle and Cordelia were heading for the sewers. The three men had told Cordelia to stay put, which would most likely have been her preferred choice, but being told to stay had been too much for her and she had insisted on coming along.

"Just keep quiet." Angel told her as they climbed down into the sewers. Cordelia's answer was a gigantic, "Yuk!" as her feet made company with the floor of the sewers.

They walked on down the tunnel, all of them with a weapon raised. As before Angel stopped on several occasions to check the ground. Searching for the vampires, however, was not hard. They had not walked for more than fifteen minutes when they saw roughly ten vampires walking towards a group of around the seventeen or eighteen.

"They weren't kidding," Dean whispered to the others, "there are many."

They walked cautiously towards the group of vampires, standing close enough to be able to here what was going to be said, but far enough back so that the other vampires would not notice the three standing without fangs (Angel had put on his game face).

Dean looked at his watch and as it turned to midnight a voice boomed out over the vampires.

"Glad to see that some of us figured out where the meeting is!" The vampire bellowed. "We know why we are here, so let's get right to it. We know that feeding in this town has been hindered, even though we have tried to make diversions for a couple of weeks, our plans have been taunted. I say that it is time to bring down the one who stops us from having freedom in this city." Cheers erupted from the vampires in the tunnel. "I say that it is time that we go and find Angel, as he calls himself, and bring him down once and for all! What say you all?" Again more cheers.

"I can save you the trouble to go and look for me." Angel stated, making all the heads of the vampires swivel around in alarm.

For a split second there was complete silence; no one seemed to know what to do, until all of the vampires launched themselves at Angel, Dean, Doyle and Cordelia. As in the alley, there were again vampires, crossbows, stakes, bullets and holy water flying in every direction. Dean noticed (though busy trying to seven vampires at once) that Doyle's head seemed to had been replaced by a giant hedgehog. He ignored it and fought on.

Dean hardly had tome to register his own injuries or keep track of how the others were doing. He had to keep all his attention on the vampires he was fighting. For every one vampire he dusted, three seemed to appear. A sudden blow from behind send him toppling to the floor and before he had time to get up he looked at two fangs drawing closer and closer to his neck.

The vampire looked shocked for a second before shrivelling to ash. Dean jumped to his feet and looked straight at his brother holding a stake.

"Sammy! What are you doing out of hospital?" Dean asked his brother as they fought side by side.

"Signed myself out. Didn't think I was going to miss out on the big fight, did you?" Sam said, dusting three vampires while talking.

"We are going to have a long talk when this is over." Dean told him as he jumped into a new well of vampires.

"Yeah yeah." He heard Sam say behind him.

The fight seemed to go on for hours, but really it had been no more than ten minutes. The last vampires ran for it, trying to get away from the tunnel. Through ash and dust Dean managed to shoot some of them with the crossbow, leaving only a couple. He turned around and saw that everyone was still there: Angel, limping slightly and clutching a bloody shoulder; Doyle (looking normal again), held a handkerchief to his bloody temple while helping up Cordelia, who seemed to had suffered a few minor injuries. All in all they all seemed alright. Even Sam was still standing on his own two feet, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"We'll keep in touch then." Dean said as he walked over to the Impala.

"You're leaving?" Doyle asked, looking disappointed.

"Thought we'd better hit the road." Dean explained.

"Oh, I think we've all deserved a drink." Angel said, looking happier than Dean had yet seen him.

"I think we have time for that before we go, Dean." Sam said as he walked over towards the three others.

Dean followed thinking that a drink after all of this did not seem too bad after all. He thought hard about the events that had taken place; most of all that he had befriended a vampire. This he had always thought could never happen; that it could never happen. _Well_, he thought to himself, _maybe it was simply time for me to face reality_.

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**Please review!**

**_Disclaimer_: it has been really great writing this story, but I still don't own anything. ;-)**


	12. Author's Note

Hi there!

I would just like to thank everyone so much for reading and reviewing! I had no idea this story would get such a positive response. I loved writing this, and have been thinking about writing a sequel. Would anyone be interested in reading?

I know that the ending to this story was a little rushed, but it was a matter of getting it done quickly, or not getting it done for a couple of weeks. Anyway, I hope that it wasn't too bad.

I've made a little trailer for this fanfic which can be viewed be going to my profile.

Again, just thank you so much for reading, and if you have read this, please let me know if you would like a sequel to _Time to Face Reality_.


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